Amorphous VO₂ : a pseudocapacitive platform for high-rate symmetric batteries

• Main Authors: Chao, Dongliang, DeBlock, Ryan, Lai, Chun-Han, Wei, Qiulong, Dunn, Bruce, Fan, Hong Jin
• Other Authors: School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Science::Physics; Amorphous Electrode; Na-Ion Battery
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/154781
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Among the various VO2 polymorphs, the layered compound, VO2 (B), has been the most widely investigated lithium-ion battery electrode material. For sodium-ion electrodes, however, an amorphous solid may be more advantageous as a result of the open framework to facilitate ion insertion and the ability to tolerate volumetric changes. Herein, it is shown that the Na+ insertion properties of amorphous VO2 (a-VO2 ) are superior to those of crystalline VO2 (B). Amorphous VO2 exhibits a linear voltage characteristic over a 3 V range (4.0 to 1.0 V vs Na/Na+ ) leading to a reversible capacity as high as 400 mAh g-1 and rapid redox kinetics, which is attributed to its pseudocapacitive nature. The linear voltage characteristic over 3 V affords the opportunity of fabricating a symmetric Na-ion battery in which the a-VO2 material serves as both the positive electrode and the negative electrode. Such a symmetric battery offers safer operation in terms of overcharging, overdischarging, polarity reversal, high charge/discharge current abuse, and long-term usage. The results suggest that amorphous transition metal oxides may offer advantageous attributes for rapid, safe, and energy-dense storage.